Extra-glycaemic properties of empagliflozin

Type 2 diabetes is a complex and multifaceted disease requiring an individualized approach. A special attention, in treating the patients, should be devoted to the presence of comorbidities like overweight or obesity and arterial hypertension. Among the available anti-hyperglycaemic agents, several are associated with side effects like hypoglycaemia and weight gain. An increasing interest is reported in sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors, a relatively novel class of glucose-lowering drugs that act independently of insulin, provide benefits beyond glucose-lowering actions and show a better tolerability compared with traditional medications for type 2 diabetes. This review tries to offer a balanced view on the main extra-glycaemic effects of empagliflozin, also mentioning clinical data obtained with other sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors; the role of the proximal tubule in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy and the potential nehroprotection exerted by this compound are also briefly discussed. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.